


Know Your Name

by SuperStitious18



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Fluff, Online Friendship, Texting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-27
Updated: 2019-02-27
Packaged: 2019-11-06 16:47:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17943512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuperStitious18/pseuds/SuperStitious18
Summary: Sara had met "Ann" in an online chatroom, recommended to her by her friend Barry. They hit it off wonderfully until a miscommunication drives them apart, leaving Sara broken hearted and trying to figure out what to do next.





	Know Your Name

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fvandomtrvsh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fvandomtrvsh/gifts).



> For my wonderful, amazing author friend KP. I hope you enjoy this!  
> (Song title taken from Mary Lambert's "Know Your Name" you should listen to it, it's v gay)

It had been a long day.

Well, long would be an understatement. It had been one of those days that had just truly _dragged_ _on_ no matter what Sara tried to do to pass the time. Most of it was due to idiot customers who were rich, white, and stuck up snobs about the littlest things. Who knew there was a reason to get picky of the different blues of friggin hand towels? Why did it matter one was aqua blue and one was fucking cerulean? Who even used the word cerulean in a day to day setting anymore? 

Sara had no idea how to answer any of those questions but she had to fake a smile and try to help anyways. She _so did_ _not_ need another write up from her asshole manager. Eventually the customer did settle on a pair of purple hand towels instead (apparently blue wasn’t her aesthetic)  , but then it was the same story with another entitled customer over _spatulas_ this time.

Then the commute back to her apartment had been a whole ‘nother story. Douchebag dude bros who thought she was a dumb blonde, waiting to swoon over a little bit of muscle and a poorly done wink. Sara so did not want to “Get on the Brad train,” because just, ew. She was bi but she had better taste in men than that, any other dude would have been better than him. 

The only thing that would help get rid of the gritty feeling of cheap cologne and too much hair gel would be going to the gym, but that felt like too much effort for right now. She really did not want to move, just wanting to be a vegetable on her mattress for a few minutes. A shower might be nice though, hopefully her roommate hadn’t take all the hot water.  _ Again.  _

She really should take her dog out for a walk first, Diana had been cooped up all day with her roommate stopping by once at lunch to check on her. And speaking of, Sara could hear her scratching at her door and whining for attention. “Hold on, I’m coming,” she yelled, finally pushing herself off the mattress. “Needy bitch,” she cooed at her dog, giving her love and getting licked square in the face for that comment. “So am I though. Just wait til I tell you about the day I had, Di. But first, let’s get you outside! It’s nice out there at least!”

Diana just barked excitedly as Sara changed into her regular sneakers and pulled her leash down so they could go out. She had to laugh as the large dog accidentally whacked her tail into the wall with how fast it was wagging. “Be careful there girl, don’t need you to injure yourself.” Sara clipped the leash onto Diana’s collar. “Let’s go!” And with that, they set off on their afternoon run.

When they got back, Diana set off for the water bowl and Sara went to check her laptop, hoping for a certain notification… She had made a friend out of a woman who lived in Central City on an internet chatroom, meeting through their mutual friend Barry of the CCPD. They hadn’t really exchanged much other than usernames and first initials, both of them trying to stay safe on the web. 

Barry had been tight lipped about her new friend’s name, stating that their mutual friend would murder him (and get away with it) if he leaked any information she wasn’t ready to share. Sara thought she was being a little too much with the secrets but whatever, “Ann” was her own person and if she wanted to keep names secret then Sara could do the same. 

They had both been a bit reserved about talking initially, but after a few messages back and forth, they finally clicked and started sharing small bits of information about each other. Sara’s stories mostly consisted of Diana’s antics and random things her roommate, Zari, got up to and her unholy love of donuts. They hadn’t exchanged names either, Sara going by Captain and her friend went by Director or “Ann” most of the time.

“Ann” shared she worked with the CCPD everyday, but wasn’t employed directly by them, leaving her to wonder what her internet friend really did. Was it connected to her other alias? Was she being dramatic? Was she wanted by the FBI?

No, that was silly. Of course she wasn’t wanted by the FBI  _ and _ friends with several cops. Maybe she  _ was _ the FBI? That would go along with her nickname a lot better, and give her a good reason on why she was so shady about information...

Her laptop pinged, dragging her out of her contemplative state and causing Diana to bark repeatedly at the sudden noise. “Shhh! It’s just my friend.” She seemed to calm down at that, giving one final bark before going back to her previous activity of… whatever she was doing. Sara could never really tell what Diana got up to sometimes.

**_The Director has logged on._ **

_ Director: Well, work was interesting. You need to control your friend, he seems to be bent to decorate the entire CCPD for Valentine’s Day. _

Sara laughed at that, she did  _ not  _ sound thrilled. 

From what Sara knew of “Ann”, the woman was single and very bitter about the fact that people did not seem to understand why she chose to remain that way for now. 

_ Captain: Barry, pls _

_ Director: He does have better things to do. Normally, I’m not so against ideas like this, but… _

_ Captain: ur a salty single _

_ Director: I am not! I could have a girlfriend if I wanted, but I choose not to. _

Oh. Oh, Sara hadn’t known that she was a lesbian. That was information she didn’t know she’d been craving to have because it meant… Maybe her feelings weren’t so hopeless. 

Of course she’d fallen for someone who’s name she didn’t even know, what she looked like, or really what she did for a living. Sara had fallen for the woman who burns chicken on her first try, she’d started falling for the woman who apparently was a massive grouch in the morning and would remain that way until she got her coffee. The woman who had feelings about serial killers and an incessant  _ need _ to know and dissect their motivations, which was the weirdest hobby Sara could think of but  _ damn _ if it didn’t make her crush burn hotter.

The sound of a newly received message brought her into reality again, she was getting really spacey today. 

_ Director: Hello? Are you still there? _

_ Captain: yeah! just… long day at work  _

_ Director: Ah, and here I am rambling about my troubles. Are you okay? Do you want to talk about it? _

_ Director: Have you heard back from your gym yet? _

Sara couldn’t help but grin at that. She was so damn nice, it was  _ super _ refreshing compared to the hell day she had. 

_ Captain: no, no. im ok, thank u 💕 _

_ Captain: nothing yet _

_ Captain: still hoping _

_ Director: Anytime and me too! I know how hard you’ve worked for that. _

_ Director: So what are  _ **_your_ ** _ plans for the dreaded holiday? _

_ Captain: valentine’s isnt a swear word. _

_ Captain: but also nothing because i also dont have a gf or a partner rlly _

There was a pause in the conversation, allowing Sara some time to see what Diana was up to now. Her dog was lying on her own bed, chewing on a bone which looked gross but Sara didn’t sleep there so she wasn’t about to tell Diana any different. Maybe “Ann” would appreciate a picture…?

_ Captain: (1 attachment sent) _

_ Captain: Diana, the mighty bone slayer _

_ Director: Sending love and kisses to her. ❤ _

_ Director: You know what? Why don’t you and I do something for Valentine’s Day?  _

Sara felt a jolt of excitement at that, what she desperately wanted was this woman’s name. Maybe to finally,  _ finally _ see what she looked like… God, what would hugging her be like? “Ann” had said she was close to 5’10”, so Sara could imagine she’d fit snuggly in her arms and maybe even be able to lay her head on her chest… 

_ Captain: im game, what d’ya got in mind? _

_ Director: Well, Depending on how everything goes. Maybe I come over to Star City? Hang out and finally meet? Barry’s been bugging me about how I should meet my “best friend” face to face. _

A pang of disappointment made itself known to Sara, she  _ knew _ she’d gotten too invested in this woman whose name she didn’t even know. One of her major flaws was that she fell fast and fell hard. Of course, “Ann” only thought of her as a friend. Sara had absolutely nothing to offer in a relationship other than her knowledge of how to fold towels and how to take care of a dog. Who in their right mind would want that?

Speaking of, Diana had apparently abandoned her chew toy and come up to Sara, nudging her knee to get her attention. “I’m okay. Just… kind of disappointed.” That got a whine from her in response. “Won’t say no to cuddles, c’mon. Up.” 

The dog took that command with unbridled enthusiasm and curled up next to Sara, forcing her head into the woman’s lap.

_ Director: So, what do you think? Hang out and spite the very idea of Valentine’s Day? _

_ Director: My treat even! _

_ Captain: sorry, diana forced herself into my lap _

_ Captain: gimme a chance to drain u of ur money hehe _

_ Director: Traitor. I am offering you company and dinner on the dreaded day of Hearts and this is how you repay me? _

_ Director: I’m wounded. _

_ Director: NOW I AM GOING TO POUT. _

Now  _ that _ was something Sara would do anything to see in person.

_ Captain: threatening me with a good time eh _

Sara chewed her lip for a moment, maybe she could ask “Ann” if she could at least see her face before they met? Just so she could know who to expect when they met up? But on the other hand, what if she ruined the playful mood? It was just what Sara needed after the long and truly awful day she’d had today.

“Hey! Sara! I’m back! I brought pizza and gyros, you said you had a long day, right?” Zari’s voice rang through their apartment and Sara groaned, thankful for her roommate’s existence.

“Yeah!” she called back, Diana hopping off of the bed and making her way to Zari, tail wagging in search of pets and maybe a few pieces of chicken or tomatoes. Sara swore up and down that Diana ate healthier than she did most days with her ungodly love of tomatoes.

_ Captain: brb, z’s home and she brought feel good food _

_ Captain: make sure u get some food too _

_ Director: I will! Tell her she’s a good roommate for doing that. Well, That sounds odd but you know what I meant. I’ll be seeing you, Captain. _

A small smile made itself known at the sign off that had quickly become their thing, and she quickly typed out her response.

_ Captain: You can count on it, Director. _

**_The Captain has logged off._ **

Sara stretched upwards, popping her back before she got up to go to the kitchen, in need of the comfort food Zari brought her. “Hey Z, thanks for this.” She passed her by with a quick squeeze to her shoulder, not daring to interrupt… whatever Zari was doing to that poor gyro. “Jeez, did the kids not let you eat?”

Zari groaned, shaking her head. Poor woman worked at a daycare center until her teaching job started in the fall, and kids under five were  _ ruthless _ when it came to keeping the adults busy. Apparently today had been one of those days for her too, and if that was the case, Sara really couldn’t blame her for pretty much swallowing two gyros whole. 

“There were  _ so many of them, Sara. _ And someone called in sick today, so it was all hands on deck,  _ all. Fucking. Day.  _ I haven’t eaten since breakfast! That was so many hours ago!” Zari lamented before taking a long sip of her drink. She sighed after, already looking less stressed and frazzled from her day. “I can’t wait until my time starts as a music teacher at Star City Middle. Like, middle schoolers are ruthless but at least they’ll let me fucking eat.”

“Amen to that.” Sara chuckled to herself, eagerly digging into her box of pizza. “Oh, by the ways,” she said with her mouth full of food, earning a disgusted look from Zari. “Yeah, yeah, I made plans to meet “Ann” finally.”

“About damn time! Where are you meeting?”

“Here in Star City, haven’t quite gotten around to where yet but she’s tired of Barry’s Valentine’s Day planning.” Zari winced in sympathy. After the  _ incident  _ of 2014, Barry wasn’t allowed to plan at home anymore with Iris or the Wests period, so he inflicted the entire CCPD with his over the top zeal for the day of love. “So, I’m nervous.”

Zari knocked into her gently, “Why? Gonna confess your undying love for a woman you haven’t even met?”

“No! Besides, she only sees me as her “best friend” anyways,” Sara spat out bitterly, glaring at the floor as if it had personally offended her. It was really becoming a problem, these feelings, and she wanted them to go away. 

Her roommate looked at her sympathetically. “Well, you know what they say-”

“I swear if you say the best way to get over someone is to get under someone, I'll murder you before you can eat your last burrito.” She glared daggers into Zari’s soul, almost breaking when said woman clutched her food tighter to her chest while Diana perked up in hopes of Zari sharing. Sara contemplated that for a minute, seriously thinking about taking that advice as her best friend defended her gyro from an insistent pup. “I don’t know really. The idea is good but… I think I want to have some time to really mull it over y’know?”

Zari nodded sagely, finally chucking a piece of tomato into the kitchen for Diana, the guilt trip finally working on her. The dog took off, her paws scrabbling for purchase on the vinyl flooring so she could get to her “hard won” treat. “Diana is very weird.”

“But we love her.”

“True,” Zari agreed. “Speaking of Central City, I’ve been talking to someone who works for the CCFD, their name is Charlie. Mick introduced us last time I went to visit Amaya and Nate, who are as in love as always, in case you wanted to know.” Sara pulled a face, those two had been teased since the beginning that they were too sickeningly cute to be around as single people.

“Well, do share.” 

“Charlie is Amaya’s twin sibling so you know they’re hot. We kind of butted heads for a while but they seemed intent to win me over or something? Apparently, they asked Amaya what kind of things I liked and showed up outside my room there with donuts and Donkey Kong.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t propose right then and there,” Sara teased her, relieved to get the focus off of her own useless feelings. 

“Yeah, yeah. I decided they weren’t that bad and we’ve just kind of been talking. Do you think if I asked them out, that they would say yes?” Zari looked uncharacteristically nervous and despite Sara feeling like her dating life was never going to go anywhere, she wanted to help Zari out. Besides, this would be a good outlet for ideas she may or may not have. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sara let out a loud groan as paws landed in the middle of her back, waking her rather rudely. “Diana, no…” She did  **not** want to be awake so soon after everything that had happened the night before. But apparently if she didn’t take Diana out for a walk  _ right this second _ , then the world might end. “Ugh,  _ fine.  _ But you are going to wait while I get back to feeling human again.” 

Begrudgingly, she got up to attempt her morning routine of getting ready to take her needy dog out for her walk. Sara brushed her teeth and washed her face, electing on taking a shower after she got back from her morning run with Diana. 

She waved at Zari, who was in the middle of her own routine, trudging through making her coffee while a donut sat on the counter. That got a grunt from the sleepy woman who pulled her empty coffee mug closer in an attempt to guard her precious. “Z, it’s empty.” 

“You’re empty,” she lamely retorted. Even when hungover and feeling like death warmed over, Sara was still more of an early bird than Zari could ever hope to be.  “Leave me alone, go walk  _ your _ dog.”

Sara shook her head, endlessly amused by Zari’s grumpy antics. “Save me some coffee there.”

“No. Need it.”

She chose not to argue anymore, deciding she’d just get some from this cute little cafe down the street that her friends owned. Plus, Ray and Nora sold homemade dog treats since their shop was on a popular dog walking route and it was good business for them. They also sold the most  _ amazing _ hot chocolate that was just pure  _ magic,  _ and it was Sara’s kryptonite anytime she went into  _ DarhkTech Cafe _ . 

Diana barked, making her presence known to Sara again. “I’m coming, I’m coming,” she grumbled, grabbing the leash and clipping it onto Diana’s collar. “Catch ya later Z, gonna stop by and check in on Ray, Nora, and their little hellion.”

“Mmm, tell ‘em I said hi and that I expect to see my favorite niece sometime today.” 

“She’s your only!” Sara quickly ducked outside before Zari could continue their early morning banter. “Now, what do you say Di? Ready for a jog?” An affirmative bark and they were off to the stairs, down to the ground floor, and out the door.

Sara enjoyed the peace of Star City at 6:30 in the morning. Usually, she hated being awake this early but oh, how she loved the sleepiness of her hometown. She loved when there were a handful of people awake, taking advantage of the lack of snow and the first few rays of sunshine.The brisk air of late January only invigorated her more, putting extra pep in her step as she and Diana made way to the nearby dog park. She wasn’t a morning person, but mornings like this were almost convincing enough to make her one.

7:15 in the morning rolled around and Sara was securing Diana to a post outside of  _ DarhkTech _ . “I’ll be back in a minute, okay?” Sara uncapped a water bottle, taken from the table that was stationed outside for everyone to take advantage of. Diana greedily drank up the water from the borrowed dog bowl, ignoring Sara now. 

“Morning Captain!” Nora called out to the sweaty woman as she came into the store. Sara smiled back, happy to see that the pregnant woman was in good health and in a good mood this early in the morning. 

The two of them were extremely close, Nora being an integral part of the family Sara had made with her friends, playfully calling themselves ‘The Legends.’ For some odd reason, she had been dubbed the “captain” of the group, and despite her best efforts, they all called her by that stupid nickname. Secretly she actually kind of liked it, at least enough to make it her pseudonym on an internet chatroom with Barry being the only one who knew it was her. 

“Hey Nor.” Sara smiled, hugging Nora carefully due to the 6 month pregnancy belly she was currently sporting. “How are you? Where’s Ray?”

“Ray’s in the back with Nicole, she said she wanted to sit with him while he did paperwork? Which is odd but she looked happy, either it’s hanging out with her daddy who will sneak her cookies or she really likes paperwork. Either way, she was happy.” Nora looked amused as she walked up to the counter with Sara, the barista behind the register automatically ringing up Sara’s usual order of a hot chocolate with extra whipped cream and a banana muffin. 

“Nicole is cute okay? And I expect a hug before I leave from her and Ray, so drag your husband’s ass out here please.” She nudged Nora lightly, drawing a laugh from the other woman. “And answer my other question, Mrs. Palmer.”

Nora got this dopey smile on her face that Sara could only really describe as sickeningly in love. Don’t get her wrong, she was happy for the two of them and for Zari as all of them were apparently successful in the romance department. Sara wasn’t as fortunate, falling in love with someone she’d never met and having a one night stand to try and move on. It didn’t work but at least she wasn’t as frustrated as she was yesterday.

“I’m great actually. Sandy said she’d look after Nicole so Ray and I can do something special for Valentine’s Day, and then the four of us are going to spend the weekend together.” 

Sara vaguely heard Nora say she was going to grab Ray and Nicole from the back after that, more so focused on getting her order and heading outside to sit with Diana. 

Except she ran smack dab into someone before she could get to pick up, dazing herself in the process. She really should have been paying better attention to where she was going but this whole Valentine’s Day bullshit had her head in a mess. “Oh my god, I’m sorry.” Sara heard, shaking her head to clear the muddled thoughts from her brain, and then she looked to see who she ran into. “You should have been looking where you were going, but are you okay?”

Now she didn’t have time to dissect that question that berated her and checked on her wellbeing in one go. Though, to be fair, she really should have been watching where she was walking but that was a problem for future Sara to mull over, right now, she had to talk to this… extremely gorgeous stranger in a suit. “Yeah, sorry about that. Head’s not all here.” She winced internally at that, off her game so early in the morning and still processing her own sad existence.

“I’m glad you’re alright.” Sara could have  _ sworn _ she was checking her out, which filled her with a little more confidence than she had a few minutes ago. Maybe she still had game, even at 7:20ish in the morning and still in her workout clothes, her hair no doubt a mess from when Diana smacked her to the ground. “Have a good day miss.” The stranger nodded at her, giving her a tight smile, that looked a little stressed in Sara’s totally professional opinion, before striding out of  _ DarhkTech  _ with her own purchases.

She took a minute to gather herself again, wondering exactly what happened with ‘Gorgeous Stranger’ before she went to collect her hot chocolate and muffin. Sara managed a thank you to the employee behind the counter before heading outside to enjoy her breakfast and sit with her dog. 

Diana was thrilled to see her, jumping up on her legs and her tail blurring from how fast she was wagging it. “Down girl,” she commanded to her, Diana listening after a second longer of excited jumping. 

Sitting with the Palmer family for breakfast was delightful, it was nice to have time to catch up with them and reminisce. Ray had been a friend of hers since they were in high school, so they were thick as thieves, having stuck together through years of troubles and happiness. She’d been there when he was with Anna, when they had Nicole, and had been his rock when Anna left him with a 5 month old and broken dreams. 

Sara remembered introducing Nora to him three years ago, who was fresh from Central City, stumbling into where she worked and trying to pick out oven mitts because hers had gotten lost in her move. That was also the day Ray came in with two year old Nicole for whatever he decided they needed and the rest was history.

She was still envious of their pure, stable marriage, but she always got extra salty around this time of the year. Though, for some odd reason, this year she felt more hopeful than bitter.

It was nice.

Saying her goodbyes and getting another round of hugs, Sara set off to get home to enjoy her day off, Diana jogging alongside her with her tail wagging and enjoying the crisp air of Star City.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**_The Captain has logged on._ **

_ Captain: im off today. _

_ Captain: meaning _

_ Captain: no pants _

_ Captain: no bra _

_ Captain: i dont have to be a person til z gets home _

_ Captain: and thats an if then, if she has a bad day _

_ Captain: lemme bother uuuuu _

_ Captain: pls _

Sara loved her days off, she really did, but she was always  _ so bored. _ All she wanted to do was talk to “Ann”, get a better feel for their plans, maybe bother her about her job and figure out what she’s doing.

**_The Director has logged on._ **

_ Director: I see you started your day off as usual.  _

_ Director: I will be in meetings most of the day, Captain. So, I am afraid you will have to entertain yourself until 7pm. _

_ Captain: gotcha. _

_ Captain: ill miss you tho :( _

_ Director: I will miss you as well. Catch up on Wynonna Earp so we can talk about it later is a suggestion. _

That was. She was behind on their show, only halfway through the first episode and she had to get through the third season to find out why “Ann” was so obsessed with it. 

_ Captain: i hate when u make sense _

_ Director: :)  _

_ Director: You should have gotten used to it by now. _

_ Director: I seriously have to go, see you later! _

_ Captain: bye! _

**_The Director has logged off._ **

Sara decided to stay logged on, just in case “Ann” came on in the middle of the day or snuck off and wanted to talk. She secretly hoped one or the other happened as she was once again, bored and kind of lonely if she was being honest with herself. The idea of scrolling through a dating app, attempting to find someone for dating purposes was a big  _ NO  _ in her books, she’d rather use those type of sites to find someone to have sex with. 

She shook the thoughts of sex with her friend out of her head. At this rate, she was going to drive herself back to the bottom of that sad hole that she had barely begun to climb out of. Ugh, she really wished one of her friends was free but they were all stupid adults, with stupid jobs that had stupid regular hours. So it was either wallow in silence or reach out and wait for someone to get back to her.

Maybe “Ann” was still free. Only one way to find out…

_ Captain: i know you said you’re at work, but i need some advice. i did a thing where i went out, slept with someone, just so i could stop thinking about this person i like _

_ Captain: but it didnt work _

_ Captain: and i dunno what to do _

Now all Sara could do was wait and hope “Ann” got back to her soon. In the meantime, she could busy herself with  _ Wynonna Earp _ and wait for the next time she had to take Diana out for a walk. She could wait, she could, she trusted her friend enough and she valued her friend.

So she’d wait.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**_The Director has logged on._ **

_ Director: You could have come to me before you went out and slept with someone. _

_ Director: I would have been happy to help. _

_ Director: Did you at least remember to use protection? _

Sara winced at that. How would she even respond to the worry and disappointment coming from her friend? She didn’t even  _ remember _ if they were safe, hell, she barely remembered getting home.

_ Captain: ah, idk? _

_ Director: I wish I knew your name just so I could properly convey how disappointed I am. _

_ Director: You shouldn’t even be having sex with someone while drunk! That’s just highly irresponsible! _

Now Sara was annoyed that “Ann” was yelling at her. She came to her for help but was instead getting the angry treatment. This was  _ so _ not the time, especially when her emotions were still in turmoil from accepting her feelings for the mysterious woman. All she wanted was advice.

_ Captain: im an adult i can do what i want _

_ Director: Are you sure? Because that is highly irresponsible! That’s something I expect from a college student, not a 31 year old woman. _

_ Captain: well fuck you _

_ Captain: its my body my life i dont need you telling me what i can and cant do _

_ Captain: at least i can get laid _

Sara regretted that as soon as she typed it, she knew why “Ann” didn’t do one night stands but she had just gotten so mad from being scolded like she was ten.

_ Director: Fuck. You. _

_ Director: You know damn well why I don’t do that. _

_ Director: I don’t need you throwing that back in my face just because im telling you that you shouldnt drink and have sex with someone. _

She was kind of shocked. Her friend  _ never _ had a typo in the history of their conversations, she was always extremely proper and it was something Sara enjoyed. It gave her the feeling that she mattered enough to someone that they wanted to talk to her, talk to her properly even.

Sara knew she should apologize, admit that “Ann” was right but she was far too proud to do that. 

So naturally, she made it worse.

_ Captain: whats got ur panties in a twist  _

_ Captain: maybe u need to get out and let ur hair down _

_ Captain: people have sex, grow up _

_ Director:  _ **_I_ ** _ need to grow up? May I remind  _ **_you_ ** _ that you were the one who went out and di that bullshit!  _

_ Director: scrww this. Im busy and need to go, i dont have time for you. _

**_The Director has logged off._ **

Sara just sat there, hands frozen over her keyboard and unsure of what the  _ hell _ just happened. She really could not have been that stupid and just fucked up one of the best friendships she had ever had. Why couldn’t she have just apologized? 

_ Captain: Ann, wait no, fuck, I’m sorry _

Of course there was no response. She’d logged off and most likely turned her phone or laptop off. God, what kind of friend was she? She didn’t even know what she used to message her with, she knew nothing about “Ann”.

Sara felt the crushing weight of panic when she thought about the what ifs. What if they didn’t make up in time for Valentine’s Day? What if she didn’t want to talk to Sara ever again? What if she didn’t get a second chance?

Oh god.

What was she going to do without her nagging her about getting actual food for breakfast? Without “Ann” to vent to about her sappy friends who were all happily pursuing someone? Who would she tell that she  _ finally _ got the offer of joining her gym as a personal trainer? “Ann” had been her biggest supporter, helping her clean up her resume and making sure she nailed the interview. She didn’t even tell her she got the damn job before Sara fucked  _ everything up. _  
  


She gave “Ann” some space, understanding that she had hit a nerve last time when they fought. It would be for the best anyways, taking a breather from her while she was still feeling really unsure in general.

But now it had been three days and “Ann” wasn’t responding to her, she wasn’t even logging on. It was just complete silence and it upset Sara. She didn’t know what to do now because “Ann” just wasn’t around, she didn’t have her companion to bitch about people with. She didn’t have someone to explain to her how to properly make spaghetti or how not to burn chicken.

Someone who nagged her about properly washing her clothes, someone who asked if she’s had any water as if she could sense when she’s had coffee all day. That was always freaky, but damn if Sara didn’t feel cared for whenever that happened.

The sound of Diana whining broke her out of her sad state of mind. She was at the foot of Sara’s bed, looking sad and neglected even though she definitely was getting lots of love from Zari and the Palmers who had been visiting for dinner. “What is it?” Her acknowledgement and the sound of her voice perked Diana up, and Sara could hear her tail  _ whooshing _ from how fast it was wagging now. 

Oh. Diana wanted her attention specifically, maybe she knew how Sara was feeling? Dogs were supposed to be extra sensitive to their humans emotions or something like that, she mused. It wouldn’t hurt to take her on a walk, seeing as she hadn’t gotten out of the apartment in three days roughly. She had chosen to stay home and call out of work the past couple of days so she could wallow by herself and not have to face people while she was so sad. 

Fresh air would do her good. Maybe a shower at that…

“Alright, c’mon Di. We’re gonna go for a walk.” Diana started barking excitedly, jumping around Sara after she stood up and proceeded to stretch her aching body. Sitting down and lazing around the apartment for so long had not done any favors to her joints, the sore spots making themselves extremely well known. “Oof, yeah a walk is a  _ very _ good idea.”

“You live!” Zari shouted as Sara came out of her room, Diana close on her heels and practically dancing around her. Sara felt something close to gratefulness for Zari, the woman had been taking care of Diana and the apartment while she was too caught up in her feelings to realize how much time was passing. “How are you feeling?” she asked softly, genuine concern in her demeanor.

She thought about it for a minute. “Like I need to get my head together. Then figure out how to apologize because I acted like  _ such _ an ass.”

“Sounds like she needs to apologize to you as well,” Zari offered tentatively, not wanting to send her back into a spiral. 

Sara just shrugged, not really in the mood to get into it. “Save me some hot water? I think I’m gonna try to wash this grime off when I get back, hopefully I’ll feel better.” She didn’t wait for Zari to respond, choosing to busy herself with getting ready to finally start her day. She got through it quick enough to avoid any interrogation, clipped Diana’s leash to her collar and set off without another word to her roommate. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_ Zari: I dunno C, I’m really worried about her. _

_ Charlie: she come out yet? _

_ Zari: I was skeptical when she said she met someone on the internet from Central, but shit, she’s rlly upset and I dunno what to do. _

_ Charlie: i understand love _

_ Zari: Like, what do I do? Tell her to get over it? Yeah, cuz I can see that going over well with her _

_ Charlie: no sleepin’ with anybody either _

_ Charlie: ain’t that what got her into this mess _

_ Zari: Yeah, I’d check her laptop for what exactly happened but she’s scary when you touch her stuff _

_ Charlie: hm _

_ Charlie: let me think _

_ Zari: That’s dangerous. :p _

_ Charlie: haha, real funny z _

_ Charlie: by any chance do you know what chatroom she was using? _

_ Zari: Uhhh, something about… _

_ Zari: fuck I dunno? _

_ Charlie: go look _

_ Zari: Ugh, fine _

_ Zari: If she finds out _

_ Zari: pls remember to tell Diana I love her _

_ Charlie: fuck you _

_ Charlie: what about me :( _

_ Charlie: u don’t love me  _

_ Charlie: z  _

_ Charlie: z _

_ Charlie: z pls love me _

_ Zari: I’m back you needy bitch.  _

_ Zari: I do love you, you absolute moron _

_ Charlie: :D _

_ Zari: And all I saw was ‘The Waverider’ _

_ Zari: And that her friend deleted her account _

_ Zari: Fuck, I don’t want Sara to see that _

_ Charlie: …. _

_ Charlie: …………. _

_ Zari: Babe, why are you being so vague _

_ Charlie: What’s Sara’s name _

_ Zari: Sara? _

_ Charlie: Her chat name _

_ Zari: Uhhhh _

_ Zari: One sec _

_ Charlie: ok _

_ Zari: Omg, she goes by The Captain _

_ Zari: There’s a funny story behind that _

_ Charlie: Z shut up _

_ Charlie: sorry but her friend wouldn’t happen to have gone by Director would she _

_ Zari: Yeah I think so, why? _

_ Charlie: Because that sounds an awful lot like my friend Ava. _

_ Charlie: Fuck, Ava’s friends with Mick, John, Amaya and Nate as well _

_ Charlie: She’s the head of the police force here, it was all over the news last year. Youngest chief of police appointed _

_ Zari: Holy SHIT. I heard about that! _

_ Charlie: must’ve been why she went by director, she’d been real stressed until about the time she met your friend _

_ Zari: Fuck. We need to get them to make up. For her sake and for Sara’s sake. _

_ Zari: shit _

_ Charlie: what are u ok _

_ Zari: Yeah, holy shit. Sara’s in love with her _

_ Charlie: ur kidding _

_ Charlie: because _

_ Charlie: Ava’s in love with her. Wouldn’t stop talkin’ bout her until a few... days… ago… _

_ Zari: It’s GOTTA be her _

_ Charlie: how we gonna get em together _

_ Zari: Hmmmm. _

_ Zari: Well, I have an idea. _

_ Zari: But it’s going to take some effort. _

_ Charlie: always with you love <3 _

_ Zari: I know <3 _

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After her run and shower, Sara was feeling closer to human again. Diana sure looked happy, lazing around on the floor next to Zari’s feet, passively begging for whatever snack she had this time. “You know, I’m surprised that Diana isn’t fatter.”

“You took her out for a run this morning. Thank god because I have NO idea how to handle all that energy at 6am.” Zari looked relieved that Sara seemed to be bouncing back at least a little bit now, instead of moping around like she lost her best friend. Well, to be fair, she kind of did, but Zari was hopefully going to fix that soon. 

Sara ignored her for a moment, heading to her room to check her laptop. She hoped there was a response today because she missed her, she missed “Ann” more than was probably appropriate. Though she didn’t really care what anybody thought about her, she never had before so she wasn’t about to start now.

Then why did she care so much what “Ann” thought of her?

Feelings. She had caught feelings for her and couldn’t deny it anymore, not that she had before really. It was just, it was even more obvious now, and Sara was feeling the absence even more prominently now that they didn’t talk everyday. She sometimes had to verbally remind herself that she couldn’t go to her and tell her about something stupid Zari did. Or when Diana went full moron by chasing her tail, only to end up slamming face first into a wall and hit the floor, looking highly insulted.

She distracted herself by opening up her laptop, still ignoring Zari shouting from the kitchen in an attempt to divert her attention from whatever. Sara felt like she should be suspicious of that but typed out ‘The Director’ in the search bar, hoping to get a new conversation started.

**_User not found. Try again?_ **

Maybe it was an error?

**_User not found. Try again?_ **

**_User not found. Try again?_ **

**_User not found. Try again?_ **

**_Try again?_ **

She felt like she was stuck in a time loop, once again frozen in front of her laptop, staring at the dim screen where ‘try again?’ kept flashing at her. This was all Sara’s fault. She pushed it too far, too hard, and destroyed it. 

Fuck.

“Hey Sar…?” she was pulled away from her tears by Zari’s voice from her doorway. She was standing there, looking like she understood exactly what was going on. For once, Sara hoped she knew, because she needed her best friend right now as she started sobbing. There was a slight rush of wind as Zari hurried over, moved her laptop, and brought her into her arms so she could lose it. 

Zari felt helpless, her heart was hurting with every broken cry that escaped Sara’s lips and she wished she could take the pain away right this second. She couldn’t, she knew she couldn’t, but she still wished she could. It wasn’t a good feeling, having the strongest person she knew break down like this in her arms, but at least Sara had her close for when everything seemed like it was going wrong. 

However, this only reinforced her belief that meeting Ava in person wouldn’t hurt. At least it wouldn’t hurt Sara more than she already was. They could talk to each other in person, not hide behind a screen, and they couldn’t run away from the other this time. This time, they would  _ have _ to hear each other out and fix this whole mess they got themselves into. 

The only small comfort Zari had right now was that Charlie had told her that Ava was in a similar crisis of self deprecation and internal conflict about what she did. Ava had deleted her account in a fit of rage that wasn’t even Sara’s fault and she regretted it, having vented everything to Charlie and Amaya during “Night with the Jiwes” as one of them apparently called it.

Zari hoped all of this would be resolved exactly one week from today on Valentine’s Day or she would truly be picking up the pieces of Sara’s shattered heart.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sara could not believe she had let Zari convince her into all of this. 

“All of this” included leaving Diana with Ray and Nora,  _ putting on pants, _ and going to a Valentine’s Day party at a local gay dive bar. She would  _ murder _ Zari if her goal was to get Sara laid when she was just starting to feel less raw about losing her friend. Sara was not in the mood to sleep with anyone nor was she really in the mood to interact with anyone, but here she was. Damn Zari and her mysterious persuasion skills. 

“Do you see Charlie yet?” Zari asked, anxiously looking around for her partner. 

Ah yes, that was one of the ways Sara had been convinced to come to this party. Zari wanted her to officially meet Charlie, the two having planned this at least a week in advance so they could both be in the same city for the night. She really couldn’t blame either of them for wanting to be together for today but did they _have_ to drag her into this?

“No, they look like Amaya right? Tall, hot, and a little deadly? I think you have a type girl, remember Helen?” Sara decided she could get away with a little teasing. It worked like a charm, Zari flushing a deep red at the small jab. 

“Shut up, Charlie’s excited to meet you, seeing as you are my family,” she stated rather absentmindedly, missing just how touched her friend was. “Oh! I see them! Come on!” Sara was dragged by the wrist over to a table in a quieter part of the bar where they were apparently sitting.

Sara was glad to see Amaya and Nate there, it had been entirely too long since they had all gotten together and caught up. She hadn’t planned on doing that in a bar, but she wasn’t going to be picky right now. Especially when she was hugging two of her oldest friends. 

“Sara! It’s been entirely too long!” Amaya was smiling, looking thrilled to see her. Sara couldn’t help but feel the joy replacing her sadness with how bright and happy Amaya and Nate were at seeing her. “How have you been?”

There was the question she had been hoping and praying wouldn’t be asked. She was objectively okay, definitely doing fine physically and having the time of her life at her new job with all the clients and her wonderful coworkers. She was doing okay with her mental health too, her meds and therapy were working wonders there.

Oh, but her heart…

“Ah, it’s been okay.” She turned towards Charlie, intent on directing this conversation elsewhere. “And you’ve gotta be Charlie, Zari won’t stop talking about you.” Sara made direct eye contact, hoping to intimidate them and get the upper hand in this upcoming shovel talk.

It worked, Charlie didn’t quite meet her eyes and their grip was a little shaky in hers. “Ah, yep that’s me. To be fair, I can’t stop talkin’ about her either, just ask Mya.” They shifted from side to side, looking uncomfortable and wishing nothing more than that Zari would come save them from her. “Z’s told me a lot about you.”

“Well of course, I’m the most amazing roommate to have existed,” Sara boasted. 

“Humble too.” Charlie got a little brave, deciding to lightly tease her in return. She’d allow it, but only once.

Zari appeared before Sara could really get into the interrogation she had planned for her partner. “Sara, please don’t threaten them. We came out here to have a good time.”

“What if my idea of a good time  _ is _ threatening them to not hurt my best friend or I’ll personally see to their destruction and dismemberment?” Sara threatened in a complete deadpan while looking at Zari but meaning every word for her partner. “And that I’m  _ really _ good at getting stains out of  _ anything _ so I can make sure no one, and I really mean no one, will ever find their body.” 

“Sara!”

“I’m just saying.” Sara wasn’t lying, she meant every word she had just said.

Charlie looked quite nauseous all of the sudden and was glancing between her and Zari like they wanted to flee. They didn’t, instead they spoke up with, “I-I understand, but I love her, and I don’t ever want to hurt her.” They kept eye contact with Sara, trying to convey that they really meant that.

Sara held their gaze for a long moment, both of them ignoring the noise and music going on in the bar around them. She was checking for even the tiniest hint that Charlie was lying to her or that they weren’t 100 percent sure in their statement. If she found anything that gave her reason to think that they wouldn’t treat Zari like the queen she was, Sara would end it right here and now. Zari deserved perfection, nothing less than that would fly with her.

A wide, dimpled grin broke out on Sara’s face, bringing an end to the stare down the two had going on. “Well, do you drink?”

Charlie almost collapsed in relief that they hadn’t been murdered on the spot by Zari’s best friend. “Uh yeah, whiskey or beer. I’m not too picky there.” 

“Good choice. I’ll go get us something to drink. What do you two want?” she asked Amaya and Nate, who had been watching the whole showdown with amusement and some slight concern on Amaya’s part. “I’m going to guess whiskey and a mojito?” Nate gave her a thumbs up, confirming both of their orders for her. “Alright, you kids don’t have too much fun without me.”

Sara raked her hair back, sighing heavily now that she was alone at the bar and waiting to flag down someone to make her drink orders. It stung a whole lot to be around so many happy couples, happy singles in Amaya and Nate’s case, when she felt like her heart was still heavily damaged from years of lost loves and what ifs. She loved deeply and she loved passionately, there were no half assed romances on her part. There never were as Sara loved with everything she had, so cases like this hurt more than words could adequately describe.

Past Valentine’s Day’s never worked out for her, particularly when it came to romantic love. Oliver, Nyssa, a few others here and there… All ended spectacularly horrible. It felt like she was getting too old for that, even though logically she knew love could happen at any age and at anytime. She was just tired of everything blowing up in her face.

Maybe it was her. Maybe she just wasn’t cut out to be loved like that. 

She shook her head, ridding her brain of those thoughts. A drink would help drown them out, if  _ the dude would hurry it the fuck up. _

“Hey!” Sara heard from her right, a long arm coming into her peripheral and flagging down one of the ever elusive bartenders. She let out a happy sigh at the thought of finally getting the proper amount of alcohol in her system to numb these pesky things called feelings.

“Now that’s the sign of a woman who’s got a few things on her mind,” the voice rang again, now sounding amused instead of annoyed.

Oh, right, the stranger was still there. Sara supposes she should thank her for the help, even if she would have eventually gotten what she needed on her own. A helping hand was something she’d never turn away at this point in her life, so she turned towards the voice, gratitude on her lips when she was struck speechless. It felt like all the air had been yanked straight out of her lungs, and she couldn’t even make a joke about how she was so not straight because-

_ The stranger was the most gorgeous woman she had ever seen in her life. _

Sara needed to remember how words worked if she wanted to talk to this beautiful woman. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t seem to get them to come out. 

“I’m Ava.” Thankfully, she didn’t seem bothered by the fact that Sara was acting like someone who hasn’t seen or been with a woman before. “And you are…?”

“Oh, Oh! Uh, Sara. Sara Lance,” she actually reached out and shook Ava’s hand like this was a fucking business meeting. Thankfully Ava seemed to take it in stride, shaking her hand and drawing out the contact by lightly dragging her fingertips over Sara’s palm. That action alone caused Sara to shiver and gave her a better read on how to proceed with this upcoming conversation. She may not be ready to sleep with someone yet, but it would be nice to flirt with someone, especially when that someone was the cutest soft butch she had ever seen. 

“Sara Lance.” Ava tested out her name and Sara  _ definitely _ wanted that delightfully husky voice saying her name as much as possible. “What brings you here?”

“Ah, my friend. She wanted me to meet her partner and decided a gay bar on Valentine’s Day was the best place to do it,” Sara explained, turning away from Ava for a moment to relay her drink order to the bartender. Her friends could wait, she had an interested party and wanted positive attention from someone who she hadn’t known for years. “What about you? Don’t normally see someone in such a nice suit at a dive bar.” She tested the waters, lightly flirting back.

Ava scrunched her nose up at that, looking a little flustered at the attention suddenly, and Sara wanted more of  _ that _ too. It was nice to have a smooth lady flirting with her, but the embarrassed look definitely suited Ava, and she was certainly going to try and draw that out again. “Uh, my friends too. Said I’ve been working too much.”

“Sounds to me like our friends thought we both needed to get out and socialize.” 

“Yeah.” This time, Ava let out a small giggle and ran her fingers through her long hair. “They said that a woman in a suit is gay girl catnip so they wouldn’t let me stay home on Valentine’s Day and dragged me all the way to Star City.”

That piqued Sara’s interest just a little bit more than it already was. “Where are you from then?” She could do this, casual conversations were her thing thanks to years of torture at Sink, Shower and Stuff.

“Central, I really don’t know why they insisted on coming  _ here _ but it’s not so bad. Nice little bar, no one knows my name, great drinks and good company.” She gave Sara a shy little smile that tugged at her heart strings. 

“Well, how do you know that I’m good company yet? We’ve only just met.” Sara leaned forwards, teasing Ava while she brushed her arm with her fingertips.

Ava simply grinned in response. Sara couldn’t comprehend how someone’s eyes could be such a pretty shade of blue in shitty bar lighting. This woman was oh so beautiful and she didn’t seem like a creep… Could she really have struck out on finding someone to enjoy being alone with?

“Years of being a cop have come in handy,” she finally answered. Then she took her drink from the bartender and downed a big swig of it in one go. “Alright then, how about some shitty ice breakers?” Ava offered and Sara was totally on board with that.

“I’m game, what do you want to start with? Like hi, I’m 31, single, and a fitness instructor,” Sara said dryly, rolling her eyes at how that sounded. She couldn’t fake being annoyed at introducing herself like that when it pulled the most beautiful laugh from Ava.

“In that case-” she took a deep breath- “I’m 35, single, and Chief of Police for the Central City Police Department.”

Sara was impressed and a little awestruck. She had seen it all over the news of an Ava Sharpe being named the youngest Chief of Police in Central City history, as well as being the first woman in the position. Never in her wildest dreams would she have imagined to meet her, especially in a dive bar of all places. Maybe they would have met when her father dragged her to an event as a plus one when her mother couldn’t make it and Laurel went with Nyssa but…

“Wow, I heard about that! My dad said they made a good choice. Uh, in electing you as the new Chief you know.” Sara winced at how awkward she was sounding. She needed to get it together if she had any hopes of making a good impression on her new companion. “Captain Lance for the Star City PD?” 

Ava lit up at the name. “Oh yeah! I’ve met him several times, he’s a great captain and honestly? One of the best cops I’ve met in my career, I respect him quite a bit.” 

She couldn’t wait to tell her dad that, he never wanted recognition for a job well done but she knew how much it meant to him when someone told him he was doing well. “I’ll be sure to pass on the news,” she sounded amused. The blush on Ava’s cheeks only intensified as she seemed to realize just how excited she got over work. It was cute and extremely endearing if Sara was being honest.

“So.” Sara decided they could do with a change of subject, unabashedly enjoying her time with Ava instead of the happy friends who dragged her here. It was a little suspicious that they hadn’t come looking for her or for their drinks, but she let it slide for now. “Pets a deal breaker?”

Her companion laughed at that. “No, I’m definitely a cat person though. Love dogs, but my heart lies with those of the feline persuasion.” 

Ava took another sip of her drink, missing the small frown on Sara’s face. Ava certainly wasn’t the first cat lover she had met in her life but she couldn’t escape this particular feeling. She felt like she’d heard that somewhere before… But where?

“What about you? Any pets I should know I about?” Ava knocked her shoulder lightly against Sara’s, startling her out of her musings.

“Huh? Oh! Yeah, yeah. I have a dog. Hang on…” Sara turned away briefly, fishing her phone out of her pants pocket so she could pull up a good picture of Diana. “It’s so hard to get a good picture of her cuz she’s just always so excited that she sort of forgets how to act whenever I pull out my phone,” she joked lightly, finding the best picture she had of her dog before sharing it with Ava, who was standing extremely close to her. 

Not that she minded the closeness. It was kind of nice if she was being honest with herself. Sara hadn’t realized how starved for attention she had been since she had closed herself off from people around a week and a half ago now. 

“Diana?” Ava asked, gawking at Sara like she had just seen a ghost.

There was  _ no _ way she should have known that, Sara hadn’t even mentioned Diana’s name yet to Ava. She certainly couldn’t see her dog’s collar in the picture as she had been fresh out of a bath and wasn’t wearing it. It wasn’t one of those pictures where she had cropped the pup’s name on it either, that was usually reserved for the “professional” photos she bribed Zari to do. Sara hadn’t gotten around to posting Diana on her social media either, having stayed off the usual platforms except for ‘The Waverider’...

Holy. Shit. No way. Ava couldn’t be-?

“Holy shit.” It was Sara’s turn to gawk. That was the only explanation she could think of, how Ava knew Diana’s name without being told beforehand. “You’re-” she started and stopped, trying to collect her thought- “You’re Ann?”

Ava nodded, “Hello Captain,” she said weakly, looking incredibly awkward and unable to meet Sara’s eyes.

They sat there in silence, not knowing how to proceed from there. Sara could see Ava shifting awkwardly in her seat out of the corner of her eye, getting more and more flustered the longer the silence drew out. Normally, she’d try to offer some sort of comfort, but she couldn’t seem to do that as the feeling of her own broken heart came back full force. It was a thing that hard to ignore, it was more painful than it had been before as she now knew who Ava was as a person.

She didn’t want to stay upset. She really didn’t but seeing the woman she had fantasized about meeting so many times, the woman who just gave up on her, hurt a lot more than Sara was willing to admit. All of it also felt slightly ridiculous as well, getting her heart broken by someone she had never met face to face before. That was despite her belief that internet friends held as much value as her friends did in her physical life.

All of this just hurt.

“I-” Ava started and stopped again, looking even more ashamed than she had two minutes ago. 

“How did-” Sara tried herself, wanting to get a conversation going but she was absolutely horrible at this. Where was the famous Sara Lance charm and swagger? Normally she could sway any single man or woman into her arms for a night but around Ava, someone who’d stayed with her through one of the worst periods of her life? She was a mess.

“Alright, this is just awkward,” she finally settled on.

A loud clack came from her right, the cause of it being that Ava slammed her glass on the countertop and had a fiercely determined look on her face. “You know what? Yeah, this is awkward as hell.” Her face relaxed into a soft, remorseful look. “And I’m sorry, I owe you an apology that’s long overdue.”

Sara felt pleasantly surprised at that, “Ann”- No, Ava had never been the one to own up to her mistakes, which had lead to quite a few arguments between her and everyone who had ever met her in person. “I think I owe you one too,” she let out a small chuckle, looking at Ava like it was the first time she truly understood her friend. 

“I don’t even care about that, I started the argument and then acted like I was a child who hadn’t learned how to properly communicate. Not to mention, I ghosted you instead of apologizing sooner.” Ava let out a shaky breath and started fidgeting with one of the buttons on her suit jacket. She forced herself to look up, looking entirely too much like a kicked puppy for Sara’s heart to be able to handle. “I truly am sorry, Sara.”

She had a choice to make now. Did she believe Ava and they could go back to the way things were-? Oh who was she kidding? 

“I forgive you. I’m sorry too, for what I said and for using certain information against you.” The happiness that radiated from Ava when Sara forgave her made everything worth it. 

The conversation flowed easily between them after that, choosing to focus on some of the happier memories from the early moments of their internet friendship. They relived one of Sara’s favorites, when Zari tried to give Diana a bath as a surprise for Sara but the mischievous pup had gotten into the garden outside their apartment and muddied herself up again. What had made the whole ordeal funny was when Zari had started swearing at Diana and the dog had a flower in her mouth to give to the upset woman. It took almost no time at all for Zari to cave and resign herself to the clean all of it up..

“Would you like to dance?” Sara questioned, she didn’t care if a dive bar wasn’t the best place to do this. She wanted to be close to Ava, she wanted to finally collect on that hug that she had been promised so long ago. So what if she wanted to slow dance to obscure music? She was due some sort of contact by now, and with how eagerly Ava agreed, she obviously felt the same.

She assumed Ava would argue she should lead simply because she was taller. Others had done it to her before, so she wasn’t expecting it when Ava deferred to her, apparently happy to be lead around in their small corner of the bar. Sara wasn’t about to complain, enjoying swaying and occasionally twirling with her friend.

The world felt like it didn’t matter, not when she could finally touch Ava and laugh with her over missteps in person. Dancing with her was delightful as they talked lowly, even if no one would be able to hear them anyways due to how they isolated themselves even in a busy bar. Nothing mattered when she could physically see how Ava was glowing in the shitty light. Everything shut out as she wrapped her arms around Ava’s waist and snuggled closer, resting her head on her chest.

“Is this okay?” she vaguely heard herself ask, hoping Ava would say it was because she was extremely comfortable. It shouldn’t surprise her how easily this came to her, being touchy with someone, but it did. Sara believed the difference was the intimacy of this was on a whole ‘nother level versus strictly physical.

Ava wrapped her arms around Sara’s shoulders, nuzzling into the embrace. She heard a content sigh escape from her dance partner, the sound causing a happy smile to erupt on Sara’s face. “It’s more than okay.”

If Sara weren’t so cozy, she’d be jumping and hollering for joy, but she didn’t dare move. She wasn’t about to stop this... whatever this was now. She would happily take whatever Ava wanted to give her and hoped the same was true for Ava.

“Hey, we’re finally hugging.” Ava sounded amused again, something that was becoming one of her favorite sounds due to how her voice got deeper and rumbled pleasantly under her ear. 

“That we are,” she agreed. The two of them lapsed back into a comfortable silence, slowly swaying along to the ever present music. 

From her spot with Ava, Sara could see her friends and Charlie all watching them like hawks. She narrowed her eyes at them, suspicious of why they seemed so invested in what she was doing. Zari, Amaya, and Nate had never been this curious as to who she was “wooing”, they just rolled their eyes at her and left her to her own devices. 

So why would they be watching her?

The answer hit her like a sack of bricks when they all noticed her scrutinizing them and quickly averted their gazes. Charlie was from Central City, they worked with the fire department which worked with the police department, they _ were friends with Ava.  _ They were dating Zari, who knew all about Sara’s struggles with “Ann” and her own broken heart when the whole drama thing went down. They figured it out and apparently dragged Ava down to this bar where Zari had dragged her out,  _ just so they could meet and have somewhere to talk. _

Sara didn’t know whether to be impressed or _ murder all of them. _

Ava shifting and pulling away quickly brought her back to reality, “Wait, no….” Sara whined, not wanting Ava to move away. 

She didn’t, Ava pulled back just enough to where she could cup Sara’s cheeks between her palms. Her eyes were looking for something, the intense gaze causing Sara to tighten the grip she still had on Ava’s waist. “I… I have a confession to make.”

“Hm?” Sara’s heart started to race, worried at all the possibilities, all the ways this was about to blow up in her face. Again. 

No, no, Ava wouldn’t leave her broken hearted like she had before. She had admitted what she did was childish and that she learned from it. Sara believed her, she had to believe her or else she would go into a downward spiral again.

“Another reason I reacted so badly was- I-” she stuttered over her words, her face flushing a deep crimson again. “I mean- I got jealous.”

That confused Sara, why would she be jealous? “What?”

“I like you. I  _ really _ like you, like, romantically, and I got  _ so _ irrationally jealous that you went out and slept with someone when I- I wanted to try and woo you that I just… I focused on the wrong thing about that message.”

Apparently tonight was a night full of discoveries and this… this was one she could have  _ never _ predicted. Ava liked her, Ava liked her romantically. She liked Sara, exactly how Sara liked Ava, and she was talking like a five year old with a crush instead of a thirty-one year old woman.

Ava’s expression changed from shy and earnest to a sad and small frown. “I made it weird, I’m so, _ so _ sorry Sara. I didn’t-”

Sara interrupted her, she wasn’t going to let this opportunity slip by her as she had been  _ dying _ to do this. She wrapped her hands around the back of Ava’s neck and yanked her down, crashing their lips together in a long awaited first kiss.

There weren’t the stereotypical fireworks that everyone always said would happen when you kissed someone you were really into. No, that didn’t happen here, but there  _ was _ a sense of contentment that washed over Sara with their lips pressed together, hands locked on the other’s body in a desperate attempt to make sure all of this was real. 

They didn’t exactly pull apart, Ava pressed her forehead against Sara’s, bumping their noses together on her way to steal another kiss. It wasn’t stealing when Sara willingly gave it to her, melting further into Ava’s warm body. It was easy to get lost in the feeling of soft, pliant lips and hands tightening in her hair and on her waist. 

So she really should not have been  _ that _ shocked when someone shocked her with a splash of cold liquid, effectively separating her from Ava. “Hey! What gives?” She scowled at Zari who looked entirely too innocent for what she just did.

“Sara, you’re in public. At  _ least _ take her somewhere else! Also, it’s nice to meet you Ava. Charlie wouldn’t stop talking about you and Sara wouldn’t stop moping over you.” Zari gave a cheeky grin to the both of them before fleeing back to the table where everyone else was. Sara just glared at her retreating form, not thrilled to have been interrupted like she had been.

“We could…” Ava nudged her, that delightfully shy smile back on her kiss swollen lips. Her hair was also ruffled and her suit crinkled from where Sara had been pressed tightly against her.  _ This _ had to be the best look on anyone that she had ever seen and it was extremely unfair how good she looked. 

She didn’t want to waste anymore time, she wanted Ava all to herself. “Want to go back to my place?” 

“What about Zari?”

“She can live with her new friends, they’re all dead to me!” She raised her voice to be heard over the music and the general din of a bar. They all heard her apparently, giving her thumbs up, or in Charlie’s case, raising their beer glass. “Let’s get out of here. You can meet Diana in the morning even!”

“Oh yeah, where is she?”

“With Nora and Ray and their spawn,” she snorted, feeling a wave of affection and thankfulness for her friends and their daughter for watching Diana on such short notice.

“The… Palmers, right? Hey, wait don’t they own that cute coffee shop and bakery,  _ DarhkTech?” _ Ava asked, pursing her lips in deep thought. 

Sara almost forgot to answer, focused on the feeling of Ava’s warm palm in hers. Only when Ava squeezed her hand did she think to continue the conversation, “Hm? Oh yeah, they’ve had that place for about four years now I think.”

“Oh nice! I went there the last time I was in Star for business meetings with the SCPD. Unfortunately, someone ran into me but I was in a hurry, so I didn’t really get a good look at her.” Ava sounded bothered by that, but all Sara could think was,  _ ‘No fucking way.’ _ It had been Ava that she had run smack dab into that morning almost a month ago, they had “met” before they had really met face to face.

There was only one possible explanation to all of this. It felt very much like fate had played a good game so that they would end up together in the end. Well, Sara wasn’t about to argue, not when Ava looked so cute rambling about the benefits of keeping a clean room after Sara offhandedly mentioned her room was a little bit messy. No, she wasn’t minding this in the slightest. Fate had dealt her shitty hand after shitty hand in the game of love and relationships, so she would  _ gladly  _ collect on the long overdue backpay she was owed.

What had been anticipated to be another lonely day of another lonely year, she was glad it hadn’t ended that way at all. She was secretly grateful to her friends for giving them a much needed nudge, even if she was still plotting revenge against them all. Most of all, Sara was grateful she had decided to take a chance on this beautiful woman next to her. She couldn’t help but start humming softly, enjoying the calm as the two of them walked hand in hand down the streets of Star City on Valentine’s Day. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading!  
> (I am planning a sequel to this story in case anyone wants it!)  
> Please let me know what you thought or come yell at me on tumblr @ superstitious19


End file.
